Control

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 sits in a tightly contested performance band. Its average benchmark score of 46062 places it within 0.2% of several rivals. The closest match is the Intel Core i9-13900HX, which scores 46098, a marginal 0.1% difference. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 trails by just 0.1% with a score of 46030. Two server-class parts, the AMD EPYC 4364P and AMD EPYC 7303, are also nearby at 45970 and 45960 respectively, both within 0.2%. For practical purposes, any of these processors would deliver nearly identical frame pacing in Control, assuming the GPU is the limiting factor.

On the graphics side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 posts an average score of 15290. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 at 15283, a 0% difference, meaning essentially identical rasterization performance in this title. The AMD Radeon 680M is 0.1% behind at 15270. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM and AMD Radeon RX 7600 are 0.6% and 0.8% ahead respectively, with scores of 15199 and 15171. Note that the RTX 2060 outscores both of those cards despite their newer architectures, so in Control specifically, expect the RTX 2060 to behave like a slightly stronger version of those alternatives.

The RTX 2060 ranks in the 58th percentile among all GPUs, while the Core Ultra 5 235 ranks in the 89th percentile among all CPUs. This combination means the GPU is the clear performance ceiling for this game. If you are shopping for similar hardware, any of the four rival GPUs listed would produce within 1% of the same frame rates, and the four rival CPUs would not change the outcome at all in GPU-bound scenarios.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Control at 1080p with High settings?

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings is 68, which clears the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best playable preset at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, only Low settings are playable, delivering an average of 81 FPS. Medium drops to 58 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Is 4K playable with any settings?

A: No. At 3840x2160, even Low settings only reach 55 FPS average, and Ultra drops to 30 FPS. No preset at 4K clears the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to the RX 7600 in this game?

A: The RTX 2060 has an average benchmark score of 15290, which is 0.8% higher than the RX 7600's 15171. In Control, the RTX 2060 should perform slightly better.

Q: What is the FPS range at 1080p Medium?

A: The average is 76 FPS, with a minimum of 65 FPS and a maximum of 88 FPS. The minimum still clears 60 FPS, so frame drops should not hurt playability.

Q: What CPU score does the Core Ultra 5 235 achieve in Cinebench R23?

A: The multicore score is 14769, and the single-core score is 2085. The CPU's overall percentile rank is 89, indicating strong headroom for this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 2060 delivers its best results. Low settings produce an average of 107 FPS. Medium settings average 76 FPS, with a minimum of 65 FPS and a maximum of 88 FPS. High settings average 68 FPS. Ultra settings drop to 59 FPS average, just below the 60 FPS threshold. The gap between Low and Ultra is 48 FPS, showing that the preset slider has a substantial impact at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance scales down noticeably. Low settings still manage an average of 81 FPS. Medium settings average 58 FPS, with a minimum of 49 FPS and a maximum of 66 FPS. High settings average 51 FPS. Ultra settings fall to 45 FPS average. At this resolution, only Low is safely above 60 FPS; Medium misses by 2 FPS on average, though the maximum of 66 FPS shows occasional playable stretches.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 2060 is clearly overmatched. Low settings average 55 FPS. Medium averages 39 FPS, with a minimum of 33 FPS and a maximum of 45 FPS. High settings average 35 FPS. Ultra settings average 30 FPS. No preset at 4K reaches even 60 FPS average, and the minimums suggest stutter-prone gameplay.

The data shows a consistent pattern: each step up in resolution costs roughly 20-25% performance, and each step up in settings costs roughly 10-15% performance. The 1080p Medium preset offers the best balance of quality and headroom, with a minimum of 65 FPS that keeps gameplay smooth.

The Verdict

This PC can run Control, but the playable envelope is limited. At 1920x1080, the system clears 60 FPS on High, Medium, and Low presets. High is the best playable setting, averaging 68 FPS. Ultra at 1080p averages 59 FPS, which misses the threshold by a single frame, so it is not recommended.

At 2560x1440, only Low is playable, averaging 81 FPS. Medium drops to 58 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. At 3840x2160, no preset is playable; the best case is Low at 55 FPS average.

The overall combo rank is 2950 out of 3720 combinations, placing this system in the lower-middle range for Control specifically. The verdict is straightforward: use 1080p for a smooth experience, accept Low settings at 1440p, and avoid 4K entirely.

CPU and GPU Roles

The Core Ultra 5 235 is not the bottleneck here. Its 89th percentile rank and multicore score of 14769 in Cinebench R23 provide far more processing power than Control needs. The GPU, ranked in the 58th percentile, is the limiting factor across all resolutions.

Evidence comes from the scaling pattern. At 1080p, going from Low to Ultra drops FPS from 107 to 59, a 45% reduction. At 1440p, the same preset change drops from 81 to 45, a 44% reduction. At 4K, it drops from 55 to 30, a 45% reduction. The consistent percentage loss across resolutions indicates the GPU is saturated at every setting level.

Resolution scaling tells the same story. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings reduces FPS from 68 to 51, a 25% drop. Moving from 1440p to 4K at High settings reduces FPS from 51 to 35, a 31% drop. These are classic GPU-bound behaviors. If the CPU were the constraint, the FPS would stay flatter as resolution increases, since the CPU work per frame is resolution-independent.

At 1080p with Low settings, the CPU has more headroom to feed the GPU, but the 107 FPS result still reflects GPU limits rather than CPU limits. The Core Ultra 5 235 has a single-thread score of 2085 in Cinebench R23, which is far above what Control requires for physics and logic updates. In short, the RTX 2060 determines playability at every resolution. Upgrading the CPU would yield zero FPS gains in this game.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the best playable preset is High, averaging 68 FPS. This is the highest quality setting that clears the 60 FPS threshold. Medium also works at 76 FPS average, but High offers better visuals with only an 8 FPS penalty. Ultra at 59 FPS is technically close, but the average falls short, and there is no minimum FPS data to guarantee smoothness.

At 2560x1440, the best playable preset is Low, averaging 81 FPS. This is the only setting at this resolution that clears 60 FPS. Medium averages 58 FPS, which is playable in practice but below the strict threshold. If you prioritize smoothness over quality, Low is the safe choice. If you tolerate occasional dips, Medium might work, but the recorded minimum of 49 FPS could cause noticeable hitches.

At 3840x2160, there is no playable preset. Low averages 55 FPS, which is 5 FPS short of the threshold. Medium, High, and Ultra average 39, 35, and 30 FPS respectively. The recommendation is to avoid 4K on this system. Drop to 1440p with Low settings for a playable experience, or stay at 1080p with High settings for the best combination of visual quality and performance.

In summary: 1080p High at 68 FPS is the sweet spot. 1440p Low at 81 FPS is the fallback for sharper resolution. 4K is not viable with this GPU.